Fear God and Approach His Throne
“Moses said to the people, ‘Do not be afraid. God has come to test you, so that the fear of God will be with you to keep you from sinning.’ The people remained at a distance, while Moses approached the thick darkness where God was.” (Exodus 20:20–21)
It appears there is a juxtaposition in these two statements, as the fear of God keeps the people from doing wrong while Moses enters the very fear of God by talking to him in the darkness. I’m intrigued by this mirror. Perhaps it is a liking to our relationship with God, that we fear and revere him as holy, yet approach him with confidence because we’ve been redeemed by grace.
If you look at the law of Moses, it would initially appear that it contradicts the teachings of Jesus. If you take a closer look, you would see that they are pictures of the old and new covenant, that each one had its place in the grand theme of the world’s laws. Even the statement of “the fear of God” is repeated throughout the entire Old Testament, through the original interactions of the Israelites to the Proverbs and the Prophets. While it’s stated later in scripture, a new phrasing of the law of God is given to us. A new covenant is given to us. It is foreshadowed most clearly for us in Ezekiel 36, where it says the following:
“I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean; I will cleanse you from all your impurities and from all your idols. I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. And will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws” (Ezekiel 36:25–27).
If you’ve never read the book, I’d encourage you to sit down and closely read the entire chapters of Ezekiel 36 and 37. It’s a beautiful picture of the new covenant, which is a fulfilled prophecy now that we have the entire picture. What was prophesied came completely true.
Now we can fully realize the truth in this statement from Paul in Ephesians, “in him and through faith in him we may approach God with freedom and confidence” (Eph. 3:12). Do we still fear God? Yes, he is sovereignly powerful and infinitely worthy of our adoration. But because of the grace of God, we can come to his throne, humbly and confidently, that we might experience him.
